The storage of medical supplies in a hospital or other facility presents a number of problems. For example, the sheer number of different items places a considerable strain on the normally limited amount of space available. Further, many items must be stored in a manner which preserves their sterility so that specialized packaging is required. In addition, it is very important that the items be readily accessible in that the immediate availability of an item can sometimes literally be the difference between life and death while even in a more routine situation, a storage arrangement which enables systematic cataloging of the stored items and provides easy and ready access thereto can substantially increase the efficiency of a supply section or branch of a hospital or the like. Further, some medical items present specialized problems such as the long guide wires used in endoscopy because they exert forces which tend to cause unwanted opening of the package or bag in which they are contained.
As discussed below, the present invention is concerned with the provision of a storage receptacle or bag which is of the type including a closure for sealing or other protecting the contents thereof from dust and dirt and which is adapted to be hung from a pair of support rails such as those of a filing cabinet. Of course, hanging folders for filing cabinets are quite common and examples of patents relating to such hanging file folders include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,475,657 (Albery); 3,684,340 (Kirkorian); 2,329,201 (Jonas); and 2,325,317 (Hanna). Other patents or possible interest insofar as the present invention is concerned include U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,736 (Lindquist et al) which discloses a hanger strip for envelopes containing flat articles; U.S. Pat. No. 1,217,243 (Tucker et al) which discloses a map storage system wherein a suspension rod for hanging maps is provided with index slips arranged so as to enable one to rapidly sort through the hanging maps; U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,610 (Rhyne) which discloses a hanging product display package wherein a garment bag or the like is suspended from a rigid plastic " coathanger," and U.S. Pat. No. 492,163 (Ives) which discloses a hanger arrangement for moth-proof bags. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,928 (Ausnit) discloses a package with a "ZIPLOC" closure provided at a location intermediate edges thereof.